Dying man’s eye blinks lead to Ohio murder verdict CINCINNATI (AP) — An Ohio man was found guilty Thursday of fatally shooting a man who authorities say identified his assailant by blinking his eyes while paralyzed and hooked up to a ventilator. A jury convicted Ricardo Woods, 35, of murder and felonious assault for the death of David Chandler who was shot Oct. 28, 2010, as he sat in a car in Cincinnati. Police interviewed the 35-year-old Chandler after he was shot in the head and neck. He was...

Obama vows sustained effort on military sex abuse WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Thursday the nation’s military leaders told him they are “ashamed” of their failure to end sexual abuse in the armed services. Obama pledged to “leave no stone unturned” in the effort to halt the abuse, which he said undermines the trust the military needs to be effective. Obama also said he has asked Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey to lead a process ...

Interior issues new drilling rule on public land WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration said Thursday it will require companies that drill for oil and natural gas on federal lands to publicly disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations. The new “fracking” rule replaces a draft proposed last year that was withdrawn amid industry complaints that federal regulation could hinder an ongoing boom in natural gas production. The new draft rule relies on an online database used by ...

Brothers arrested in Mother’s Day parade shooting NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Two brothers with a history of drug arrests and suspected ties to a neighborhood gang each face 20 counts of attempted second-degree murder in a shooting spree that brought a sudden bloody end to a Mother’s Day parade in a New Orleans neighborhood. The arrests by city police and U.S. marshals came less than four days after gunfire scattered the crowd and wounded 20 people — 19 hit by bullets and one while trying to flee. Ake...

US, Turkey project united front on Syria WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan projected a united front Thursday on Syria, keeping stark differences about how much the U.S. should intervene behind closed doors as they looked to Russia and the global community to close ranks behind efforts to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad. Under a pair of umbrellas outside a drizzly White House, the two leaders offered no hints about new actions ...

Authorities arrest man in Idaho in terrorism case BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Federal authorities in Idaho said Thursday they have arrested an Uzbekistan national accused of conspiring with a designated terrorist organization in his home country and helping scheme to use a weapon of mass destruction. The U.S. attorney’s office said Fazliddin Kurbanov, 30, was arrested at an apartment complex in south Boise on Thursday morning after a grand jury issued a three-count indictment as part of an investigat...

Obama picks budget official to run troubled IRS WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama picked a senior White House budget official to become the acting head of the Internal Revenue Service on Thursday, the same day another top official announced plans to leave the agency amid the controversy over agents targeting tea party groups. Obama named longtime civil servant Daniel Werfel as the acting IRS commissioner. Werfel, 42, currently serves as controller of the Office of Management and Budg...

Documents: Ricin letters suspect evaded police JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The man suspected of sending poison-laced letters to President Barack Obama and other officials appears to have attempted to evade law enforcement just days before his arrest, according to FBI documents made public Thursday. James Everett Dutschke, 41, was arrested April 27 at his home in Tupelo, Miss., and charged with making ricin, the same substance mailed on April 8 to Obama, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and ...

Obama calls on Congress to fund embassy security WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Thursday tried to turn the tables on Republicans who have criticized his administration’s response to last year’s deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya, calling on lawmakers to approve his request to increase funding for diplomatic security. Obama’s call was the second step in as many days designed to combat GOP charges that his administration misled Americas about the circumstances of the attack, playing...

Wal-Mart’s 1Q profit, sales disappoint NEW YORK (AP) — The first few months of the year were tough for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. The world’s largest retailer reported Thursday that its first-quarter profit edged up just slightly, and the company struggled with a sales slump in its namesake business during the three-month period. The discounter also offered a quarterly profit outlook that came below Wall Street’s projections. Its stock fell on the news. Wal-Mart blamed a litany of factor...

Wash. state releases draft rules for legal pot SEATTLE (AP) — Officials in Washington state took their first stab at setting rules for the state’s new marijuana industry Thursday, nearly eight months after voters here legalized pot for adults. Among the preliminary regulations: They want to track marijuana from “seed to store.” They’d put a cap on the number of retail outlets in each county, but not on the number of licensed pot growers or processors. No sales of what the board described a...

Mom in NM chases down child abductor; man arrested ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A mother whose 4-year-old was being abducted chased the suspect down and crashed her vehicle into his car, triggering a manhunt and the arrest of the suspect, Albuquerque police said Thursday. The young girl was playing in her yard at St. Anthony’s Plaza Apartments in Albuquerque’s North Valley about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday when a group of teenagers saw the kidnapping and ran to alert the girl’s mother, police said. The fa...

IRS commissioner ousted over tea party targeting WASHINGTON (AP) — Hurrying to check a growing controversy, President Barack Obama ousted the acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service late Wednesday amid an outcry over revelations that the agency had improperly targeted tea party groups for scrutiny when they filed for tax-exempt status. Obama said Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew had asked for and accepted Steven T. Miller’s resignation. Obama made no public criticism of Miller but sp...

OJ Simpson testifies in bid for new Vegas trial LAS VEGAS (AP) — His leg shackles rattling as he shuffled to the witness stand, a grayer, bulkier O.J. Simpson made his case for a new trial on armed robbery charges Wednesday, saying he was relying on the advice of his trusted attorney when he tried to reclaim mementos from his football glory days. The former NFL running back also said his trial attorney never told him about possible plea bargains with much less prison time. And he said his a...

Jurors find Jodi Arias eligible for death penalty PHOENIX (AP) — The same jury that convicted Jodi Arias of first-degree murder last week took less than three hours Wednesday to determine that the former waitress is eligible for the death penalty in the killing of her one-time lover. The swift verdict sets the stage for the final phase of the trial to determine whether the 32-year-old Arias should be sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty for the 2008 murder of Travis Alexander in h...

Petraeus email objected to Benghazi talking points WASHINGTON (AP) — Then CIA-Director David Petraeus objected to the final talking points the Obama administration used after the deadly assault on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, because he wanted to see more details revealed to the public, according to emails released Wednesday by the White House. Under pressure in the investigation that continues eight months after the attacks, the White House on Wednesday released 99 pages of emai...

Ex-EMT in Texas pleads not guilty to charges WACO, Texas (AP) — A first responder who helped evacuate people ahead of a deadly explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a charge he possessed bomb-making materials. Bryce Reed was arrested last week and indicted Tuesday on a charge of possessing an unregistered firearm. Authorities have not announced any link between Reed and the April 17 blast in West, Texas, which killed 14 people. Federal investigators allege...

Attorney: California boy charged in sister’s death SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The attorney for the 12-year-old boy accused in the stabbing death of his 8-year-old sister says murder charges have been filed against the boy. Attorney Mark Reichel told KTVU-TV Tuesday evening his client has been charged with second degree murder and a special allegation for use of a dangerous weapon. Reichel had said earlier Tuesday that the boy might have lied about seeing a long-haired intruder fleeing the scene...

Lawyer: Tsarnaev’s widow to cooperate PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A new criminal defense lawyer for the widow of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev says his client will continue to cooperate with investigators but says he plans to keep quiet about the details of her case publicly because that could hurt the investigation. New York lawyer Joshua Dratel, who has represented several terrorism suspects, joined Katherine Russell’s legal team last week. He joins two Rhode Isl...

Study questions how sharply US should cut the salt WASHINGTON (AP) — A surprising new report questions public health efforts to get Americans to sharply cut back on salt, saying it’s not clear whether eating super-low levels is worth the struggle. Make no mistake: Most Americans eat way too much salt, not just from salt shakers but because of sodium hidden inside processed foods and restaurant meals. Tuesday’s report stresses that, overall, the nation needs to ease back on the sodium for bette...